Thinking Skills in the Citizenship Classroom.
The revised National Curriculum reflects the growing recognition of the need to provide
opportunities for pupils to develop the skills required for them to become independent
learners, motivated and effective both within their school career and within their role as
responsible, informed and active citizens. The teaching of thinking skills involves pupils in
developing an understanding of the learning process, in turn enabling them to take
increasing ownership and responsibility for their learning.
The programme of study for Citizenship education is an ideal forum for the teaching of
thinking skills. The key processes require the Citizenship teacher to offer opportunities for
pupils to develop a comprehensive range of thinking skills - information processing,
reasoning, enquiry, creative thinking and evaluation. Each thinking skill provides an
opportunity to develop an aspect of the Citizenship programme of study. Some
examples are given below –
Information processing skills:
 Finding and collecting information – when gathering evidence to support an
argument
 Sorting and classifying – when sorting information into ‘for and against’ a
specified position or viewpoint, for example the introduction of identity cards
 Putting in order – when putting the stages of a Bill becoming law or the processes
of the criminal justice system into the correct order
 Comparing and contrasting – when looking at political party agendas and
manifestos
 Analysing part/whole relationships – when relating democratic systems in school
to those of the wider community
Reasoning skills:
 Giving reasons – for opinions expressed orally or in written format
 Making deductions – when considering media bias or the stance taken by
political parties
 Using precise language – when discussing politics, systems of government, or the
legal system
 Making decisions – when asked to develop a campaign manifesto or prioritise a
political agenda
Enquiry skills:
 Asking questions – when planning an investigation into a topical issue or writing to
their MP
 Posing and defining problems – directly to a group or class discussion, for
example ‘How could identity cards be seen as an invasion of privacy?’
 Planning what to do – when planning a community event
 Predicting outcomes – considering the possible consequence of a course of
action, such as the environmental impact of a school recycling scheme
 Testing conclusions – evaluating generalisations made about topical issues, for
example, the proportion of the population comprised of ethnic minority groups
 Thinking how to improve your ideas – when reflecting on an individual, group or
class project
Creative Thinking skills:
 Thinking of ideas – possible causes of conflict, solutions to a given problem such
as litter in the school grounds
 Suggesting hypotheses – suggesting possible reasons for a given situation, such as
low voter turnout or the number of seats lost by Labour in the local elections
 Using imagination – to consider other people’s perspectives on an issue, within
role play or simulation game
 Looking for alternatives – considering new ways to tackle a social issue such as
graffiti or voter apathy
Evaluation skills:
These can be used together to evaluate a whole class project or individually –
 Evaluating information – eg, when analysing newspaper articles for possible bias
 Judging the value – how useful was an activity in helping a charity achieve its
aims?
 Developing success criteria - what will be a successful outcome of a class
fundraising event?
 Having confidence in their judgements – by supporting them with evidence
The Thinking Skills posters support effective delivery of these thinking skills within the
Citizenship classroom in several ways –
 They allow the teacher to make clear and explicit reference to thinking skills without
requiring major restructuring of planning within the subject (see example unit)
 They can be used within a wide range of teaching and learning activities and as a
tool for assessment for learning
 They allow for differentiation for a range of abilities and learning styles
 They provide a common language for teacher and pupil to discuss the learning which
is taking place and promote the ongoing development of pupils’ skills of
metacognition
 By incorporating them into a unit of work they support pupils in placing the key
processes in context by relating them explicitly to the key concepts and topical issues
being delivered
The accompanying materials are intended to provide an insight into some of the many
ways in which they can be used to support teaching and learning within the classroom.
Using the Thinking Skills poster resource
As an ongoing reference tool:
Laminated colour A3 copies of the posters mounted in a permanent wall display, in a
prominent position. Displaying them in a row will allow pupils to see the 5 skills as a ‘tool-box’ for
critical thinking with individual skills being selected according to the task. Reference can be
made to the thinking skills during lessons with the teacher scaffolding pupils understanding of
what each skill involves and how it can be used to support learning.
An inclusive approach to addressing thinking skills is important to ensure all pupils are able to
progress in their use and understanding of critical thinking. It is important to ensure that pupils
with different learning styles are able to engage with thinking skills. The poster designs and
layout of the display will engage visual learners; auditory learning styles can be satisfied by
incorporating reference to the 5 skills into class formative feedback from the teacher and also
by encouraging pupils to refer to the skills during self and peer assessment opportunities. A
smaller A5 laminated flip-chart of the posters/set of individual posters can be given to individual
pupils to refer to throughout lessons. Kinaesthetic learners will be supported in engagement with
the resource by being able to ‘move’ between the skills, place them in different layouts and
‘select’ particular skills according to their needs. This promotes the recognition and
understanding of each as a distinct skill and as part of the overall critical thinking toolbox.
Using a permanent display for reference will allow pupils to become familiar with the skills they
use for critical thinking and support them in the development and use of the knowledge,
understanding and language needed to participate successfully in metacognitive practice.
The posters can be used as a resource for activities as a whole class (A3 wall display), small
group work (A4) and paired and individual work (A5 or smaller). The individual diamond cards
can be used in a variety of activities (sequencing, grouping, ranking, defining, matching with
examples) in a range of class groupings.
The eventual aim is for pupils to become independent learners able to approach tasks armed
with the necessary skills, able to select the appropriate tool for the job with confidence, having
developed an effective overall strategy for tackling thinking tasks.
As a focus over a half term/term:
It may be appropriate to support pupils in deepening their understanding of thinking skills by
opting to focus on recognising, using and developing one particular skill across a unit of work, a
half term or a term. This could be extended to become a whole-school focus, which would
provide pupils with regular opportunities to make connections between lessons and across the
wider curriculum, supporting the transfer of learning.
If a whole school year is designated to the development of thinking skills, the first half term
could be used to introduce pupils to the concepts and relevance of critical thinking. The
remaining 5 half terms could each be used to focus on one particular skill, with planned
opportunities to reflect upon where it fits into the ‘tool box’ of critical thinking.
As a focus for a class activity or a lesson:
Thinking skills can be developed through individual lesson tasks and activities. It should be noted
that DfES advocates following a clear model of stages to inform planning of thinking skills
lessons, with each stage containing distinctive key features which are necessary for effective
teaching and learning of thinking skills.
The Launch
The start of the lesson should motivate pupils by helping them to see the relevance of the
lesson. Modelling may be required to ensure pupils are clear about what is expected of them.
Any key vocabulary, concepts and procedures which may be required should be clarified and
pupils informed of expectations of behaviour. Specific features –
 the learning objectives focus on the thinking and learning in which pupils will be engaged
 there is an emphasis on collaborative working
 cross-curricular links are identified
The Group Work phase
Pupils work in groups on a challenging open task; group discussion allows pupils to express their
thoughts. The teacher manages timing, pace and handing out resources. They observe and
listen to the groups throughout, taking notes of anything which can be used in the plenary.
Encourage groups to manage difficulties and complete the task with minimum intervention
from staff.
Specific features –
 The teacher eavesdrops on group discussions, taking notes to capture pupils’ thinking. This is
then used to inform the plenary
 Interventions are kept to a minimum, encouraging group collaboration when facing
moments of difficulty
The Plenary
This is a vital element of the lesson as this is when pupils will develop metacognitive skills – they
consider what they learned and HOW they learned it. Key questions planned in advance; these
may be adapted in light of observations of group work. Aim for extended answers (use open
questions and prompts) and joint-thinking with pupils listening and responding to each other.
Summarise thinking and focus on the HOW, make links with wider contexts to illustrate the
bigger picture. Establish generalisations and relate them to the 5 thinking skills (enabling the
learning to be transferred)
Specific features –
 The focus is on the thinking skill, the HOW, not the subject content.
There follows three examples of work I have done which focus on thinking skills. The first is an
example of how I am incorporating the use of the thinking skills posters into a unit of work; the
second is an example of how the posters can be used to support pupils learning in an active
citizenship context; the third is an example of how the posters were used to support a class of
Year 9 pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties in developing skills of information
processing and creative thinking.
This is an example of a 4 week unit of work I am currently drafting, indicating how I am incorporating thinking skills into the lessons.
I will use the thinking skills posters to support whole class, group, paired and individual tasks.
The influence of celebrity culture – an investigation
Content and sequence of lessons:
Week 1
Topic coverage: Celebrity Culture – an investigation
Enquiry
Week 2
Creative
thinking
Week 3
Reasoning
Learning focus:
How does celebrity culture influence young
people and to what extent?
Outcomes:
Topic coverage:
Pupils plan an investigation into the influence of
celebrity culture on young people
Pupils understand the processes involved in
planning an investigation into a topical issue
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Learning focus:
The desire to live the celebrity lifestyle
Outcomes:
Topic coverage:
Pupils understand that the desire to live the
lifestyle of celebrities can influence the ambitions
and choices made by young people although
they recognize that there are alternative reasons
for these choices
pupils assess creative thinking skills and identify
areas for improvement and ways of improving
Role models
Learning focus:
The responsibility of celebrities as role models
Outcomes:
Week 4
Information
processing
Pupils discuss the responsibilities of celebrities to
set a good example and express and explain
their views
They identify the stages of thinking involved in
forming a reasoned argument.
Topic coverage:
Special treatment?
Learning focus:
The treatment of celebrities by the courts
Outcomes:
Pupils can offer informed opinions about the
treatment of celebrities by the courts
Pupils understand that information can be used in
a range of ways to help produce the desired
outcome.
Principle tasks/activities:
Pupils are given the task of investigating the effect of celebrity culture upon the
choices and ambitions of young people today.
They consider the nature of celebrity culture and the way that the media
perpetuates research case studies including reality TV, sports stars and musicians and
examine the role of the mass media in constructing the celebrity culture and the
methods used (paparazzi, hype) They write a plan of the areas to investigate and
state their initial views on the amount of influence of celebrity culture.
Can they identify the enquiry skills they or others have used?
Principle tasks/activities:
Listen to the song ‘Rockstar’ by Nickelback
Discuss the message in the song and to what extent pupils think this is true. They use
their imagination to consider what the lifestyle of a rock star would be like (a day in
the life of.. for a celebrity) and discuss ideas about why this may appeal to young
people (thought bubbles – what do young people think about certain celebrities).
Using the case studies pupils consider a range of alternative reasons why young
people may make such decisions (talent, parental pressure etc). Can pupils identify
which group of thinking skills will be used primarily? Work could be self assessed
using the creative thinking poster. Which areas do pupils feel they did well in? Which
areas could they improve and how?
Principle tasks/activities:
Pupils reflect upon the example set by a range of celebrities during recent years
(some positive, some negative, some both)
They discuss why young people may follow the example set by celebrities and if
celebrities have more responsibility to set a positive example than non-celebrities.
They draw conclusions on the influence of role models and explain their views,
supporting them with reasons from their research. Use reasoning poster to help pupils
identify the stages for forming a reasoned argument about an issue. The diamond
cards can be used to help identify where each reasoning skill is being used and help
pupils to set relevant goals for improvement in a specific area of arguing a case.
Principle tasks/activities:
Pupils compare and contrast real-life cases of celebrities and the law. They analyse
the cases and decide if the celebrity in each one received ‘special treatment’
because they were famous. Once they have sorted the information they then
consider how any perceived special treatment could have an influence over young
people.
The thinking skills poster can be used to help pupils recognise the different ways they
can use the information available according to the desired outcome. Make all
posters available to see so that pupils can make links between the groups of thinking
skills.
Thinking Skills in Active Citizenship – using the posters to get them thinking about their participation in the community.
The posters can be used in each lesson to support pupils in developing a deeper understanding of the process of responsible and effective
participation. Pupils can identify the type of thinking involved at each stage of the project.
Content and sequence of lessons:
Introduction to the giving-nation challenge
Week 1 Topic coverage:
Week 2
Learning focus:
Think about topical social/moral events
Take part in exploratory class discussion
Outcomes:
Pupils understand what the challenge involves and
begin to consider issues and methods of fundraising
Identifying and deciding on the issue
Information processing; reasoning
Investigate a range of issues to consider as the ‘cause’
decided upon for the challenge
Assess and decide upon the cause the group will support.
Topic coverage:
Learning focus:
Week 3
Outcomes:
Pupils improve their knowledge of charities and causes in
the UK and gain basic understanding of how they work.
Pupils develop criteria for valuing one cause over another
and recognise the need to prioritise issues.
Topic coverage:
Researching the issue
Information processing; reasoning;
Investigate the chosen issue and the charities and
voluntary groups associated with it.
Learning focus:
Outcomes:
Week 4
Topic coverage:
Learning focus:
Week 5
Research the aims and activities of two/three associated
charities; develop understanding of the chosen issue;
identify one group/charity to support.
Deciding on the campaign
creative thinking; enquiry; evaluation (success criteria)
Links between the aims and activities of campaigning;
consider options for campaigning on the issue
Outcomes:
Decide upon the activity which the group will undertake
with clear links with the aims of the project
Topic coverage:
How can we influence others?
Information processing
Strategies to influence a target audience
Learning focus:
Principle tasks/activities:
‘How would you use £50 to benefit others?’ brainstorm
Pupils introduced to the g-nation challenge: what it is, what is
involved (brief overview with reference to the website)
Watch the first film on the g-nation DVD: other schools, how to think
of an idea to raise money.
H/w: think about local charities/fundraising activities
Principle tasks/activities:
Brainstorm of issues/causes as class starter.
Research a range of issues/causes using internet, local papers and
yellow pages, prompt sheet (options of whole class, groups or
paired work for different areas of research) Whole class pools
findings from research, discusses which cause should be their focus
for the challenge.
Make decision: group decides which cause they will support. Offer
guidance on ways of deciding upon the issue, what factors should
be considered, methods of reaching decision (voting/drawing
lots/one or two people have final say etc)
Principle tasks/activities:
Reminder of chosen cause.
‘Chain of help’ created to develop framework for the campaign.
Internet research into two/three charities (one per group) – research
template used to record aims and activities of each.
Groups feedback results of research to whole class. Use to inform
whole class discussion to decide which charity to support for the
project.
Principle tasks/activities:
Inform pupils of the approach you have chosen. Use research from
lesson 4 to illustrate the aims of charities and how the activities
undertaken are intended to help achieve the aims.
Whole class brainstorm to create a clear set of aims for the project.
‘Criteria Help Sheet’ and ‘How can we help?’ - Pupils read info in
small groups and underline the activities which they think would help
achieve their aims. Filter the results by highlighting those which are
achievable with available time, funding and number of pupils.
Principle tasks/activities:
McDonald’s logo work sheet.
Pupils will watch ‘Super Size Me’ and identify a range of strategies
Outcomes:
Week 6
Topic coverage:
Learning focus:
Outcomes:
Week 7
Topic coverage:
Week 8
Learning focus:
Outcomes:
Topic coverage:
Learning focus:
Outcomes:
Understand a range of strategies used when raising
awareness and attempting to influence people; know
that different strategies have different effects
Action planning and preparation
Reasoning; creative thinking
Identifying resources to maximise the effect of the
campaign
A range of resources selected and prepared which are
appropriate to target audience and subject matter.
Taking Action
Creative thinking if appropriate (if designing a display)
Informed and responsible action.
The planned action for the campaign is carried out
Evaluating the Campaign
Evaluation
Evaluation and reflection; the role of voluntary
organisations in the community
Critical review of the campaign and reflection on the
value of voluntary social action in the community
used in the film to inform and influence the viewer.
Go through the group record sheet to clarify each strategy.
Watch film.
Complete group record sheet using recall from the film.
Principle tasks/activities:
Pupils use the record sheet from lesson 5 to identify strategies which
would be most effective in influencing the target audience.
The group then selects any relevant information/stats/images etc
from the information they have on the issue and the chosen charity
which correspond with the identified strategies.
The class creates resources using this information.
Principle tasks/activities:
Pupils take action on their chosen issue.
Principle tasks/activities:
Reminder of the aims of the campaign.
‘What did we do? How did we do?’ – Pupils summarise and score
the action taken on the issue and the impact of the campaign.
‘Where did we fit in?’ – pupils identify how they participated in the
‘chain of help’ and understand the wider picture of voluntary
action.
TORBAY SCHOOL lesson plan
CITIZENSHIP
B WOODWARD
CLASS:
DATE:
LEARNING
 To know and understand the concept of ‘thinking skills’
OBJECTIVE/S:
 To consider which thinking skills are required for specific activities
 To reflect upon how we use different thinking skills in our learning
All pupils will:
Be aware that there are 5 categories of Thinking Skills and understand that different
types of tasks require use of skills from different categories
Most pupils will:
Be able to identify which thinking skills will be required for different types of learning and
reflect upon how they used specific thinking skills within a given task
Some pupils will: Give examples of tasks which would require a particular thinking skill
NC references:
Resources
Required:
Cit 1f; Cit2a-2c; Cit3a
En2/4a-4c; En1/1a-1e; En3/1i-1o; En1/3
Thinking skills posters (A3 and A4); ‘How to be a responsible dog owner’ laminated cards; images
of abandoned dogs and dogs who have been helped by Dogs Trust; ‘thought bubbles’ blanks;
‘real life’ stories of dogs from Dogs Trust;
Coloured card; grey boards for displays; previous work on logos/statistics and suggestions of how
to take display into local community; pens/pencils/glue/scissors/metallic markers/drawing pins
etc
LESSON OUTLINE:
Structure
Groupings
Activity
Starter
Whole class
Introduction to the Thinking Skills posters
Display the posters clearly on the white board. Talk pupils through each one,
giving examples of tasks which would require a specific category of thinking
to be used and examples of each sub-category. Invite pupils to offer further
examples; ask if there are any questions at this point. Inform pupils that they
will have opportunities throughout the lesson to ask any questions which
arise.
For each task (‘challenge’) ask pupils to identify the thinking skills which they
will need to use to be successful and place the correct poster near the
group for them to refer to in the episode plenary.
How to be a responsible dog owner information processing
Explain the task to the pupils.
‘Which thinking skills will you need to use for this task?’
Pupils need to select the correct advice for how to look after your dog
properly
From the selection of laminated cards. 3-4 minutes (approx)
Take notes on the discussion which takes place between pupils during the
task
Once task is completed review the answers with the group and discuss how
they identified the correct cards with reference to the thinking skills posters
and the notes made during the task
Using images: what are the dogs thinking? Creative thinking
Explain the task.
‘Which thinking skills will you need to use for this task?’
Pupils are given 3 laminated images of different dogs (abandoned and tied
up; behind cage doors, outside in the care of Dogs Trust) and 3 blank
thought bubbles. Provide scrap paper for pupils to record ideas.
They need to fill in a thought bubble for each dog. For the task to be done
correctly they will need to think about the situation of each dog, what could
have caused them to be in the situation they are in, how they might be
feeling, what they would be thinking.
Emphasise that this is a group task and not to be completed individually. The
group need to suggest possibilities, discuss them and develop them.
Take notes throughout the task with specific reference to the thinking skills
used.
10 minutes
Episode 1
Whole class
10 minutes
Episode 2
10 – 15
minutes
Whole class
Episode 3
Whole class
10 minutes
Feedback on creative thinking task
Place the completed thought bubbles and images so they are in view of all
pupils and read them out clearly.
Use the creative thinking poster to remind pupils of the elements of creative
thinking.
Can pupils identify a point during the task where they:
Used their imagination?
Generated and/or extended ideas?
Hypothesised?
Offered and/or considered alternatives?
Plenary
Individual
pupils
Throughout this episode give feedback to the group on the task, with
reference to notes taken during the task. Use the poster to make clear links
between the elements of creative thinking and specific examples noted
during the task.
Q&A
How do pupils feel about their success in the tasks (as individuals and as a
group)?
Do all pupils agree or do some feel differently?
How well do pupils feel they understand the thinking skills (at least the basic
concept of them)?
What effect did the ‘thinking about thinking’ (write ‘metacognition’ on board
with definition) have upon:
Their learning?
Their concentration?
Their understanding of the task?
ASSESSMENT:
Teacher
Assessment of thinking skills – understanding and use of; ability to recognise which category is required
and which element is used at specific points of the task.
Self
Reflection on use of specific thinking skills during the tasks; identifying the thinking skills required/used –
understanding of the application of different thinking in different situations
Peer
Group discussions in tasks
Being a responsible dog owner.
Get your dog it’s own
comfortable bed where it
can go to sleep
Clean up your dog’s mess
and make sure it is disposed
of properly
Feed your dog at least
once a day and make sure
they always have access
to clean water
Play with your dog
regularly and give them
proper dogs’ toys to play with
Give your dog regular exercise.
2 good walks a day,
even when it is raining
Take your dog to the vets to be
vaccinated against illness and neutered
and use worming
and flea treatments
Train your dog to follow basic commands –
attending behaviour classes is a good
idea
Have your dog micro chipped and make
sure they wear a collar
and ID tag with their name and
your contact details
Groom your dog regularly to
keep their coat healthy
Understand that your dog has feelings too
and if they are
treated badly they will feel hurt
and confused.
Take your dog for a walk when it
is nice and sunny. Dogs do not
like to walk when it is raining.
If you take your dog out in the
car they can be left alone in
the car as long as the window is down a
little bit and you get
back before it is dark.
If your dog chews something up make
sure you smack it and
shout at it so it knows it has
done something wrong.
Your dog will learn to do tricks
for you if you shout at it until
it does what you want it to do.
Your dog will keep itself clean by licking its
fur and scratching itself.
All dogs get fleas at some point and they
will eventually go away, so flea treatment
is a waste of money. Get your dog some
chews instead.
Dogs will be ok left alone all
day as long as you leave
the radio on.
if your dog messes on the
pavement you should pick it
up if someone is looking.
Don’t
look at
me
The dog is a girl.
She’s in a dog’s home.
Sad and she feels ashamed.
Because no one wants her so she feels bad,
that’s why she doesn’t want anyone to look at her
Comments made by a Year 9 EBD pupil
I am lonely… I
have no friends
I hate the park…
I hate my life
I need some
food and some
water
I am a
good boy
I want my bed
Where am I?
I am bad
Decide what
a successful
result will be
Evaluate my
work and other
pupils’ work
Decide how
successful
the work is
Judge the
value of the
work
Be confident
in the
evaluation
Think of and
develop
ideas
Suggest
hypotheses
Look for
other
possibilities
Use my
imagination
Ask
questions
Pose
problems
Plan
research
and
action
Predict
outcomes
Think of
how to
improve
Give
reasons
Make
deductions
Explain
my views
Make
decisions
Collect
information
Sort and
classify data
Put the
information
in order
Compare
and contrast
Analyse the
information